The Australian Open might get all the attention, but don’t be fooled. There is currently another WTA tournament taking place in Melbourne right now. In fact, 2020 Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin has already lost in the Round of 32 at the WTA Phillip Island Trophy. However, the other 15 Round of 32 matches will be contested on Monday, and we’re here to predict all of them for you. Who will advance? We share our thoughts. This set of predictions looks at four matches, and we also have three other sets, featuring Johanna Konta vs Aliaksandra Sanovich, Madison Brengle vs Bianca Andreescu, and Petra Martic vs Rebecca Marino.
WTA Phillip Island Trophy Day 2 Prediction
Ana Bogdan vs Zarina Diyas
Neither one of these players is at the top of the game, but both can bring good tennis on their best day. Diyas had an impressive run at the Australian Open this week and is just playing better tennis right now. Expect the Kazakh to move on.
Prediction: Diyas in 2
Maddison Inglis vs Wang Qiang
Inglis is young and steadily improving, and she’s been playing well in her home country this past month. Wang is a better player, yes, but the Chinese hasn’t yet managed to win a match in Melbourne. There are no fans due to the snap lockdown, which takes away a potential advantage from Inglis. Still, on form, I think the Australian can pull it off.
Prediction: Inglis in 3
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Anna Blinkova vs Irina-Camelia Begu
Sometimes it’s easy to forget that Blinkova is only 22 years old. She’s rising and improving, but still not as consistent as she can be. Begu, meanwhile, is a pretty consistent veteran, though she never had the potential that Blinkova clearly does. Still, Begu has played better in Australia so far this month, and I think that will see her through a tight match.
Prediction: Begu in 3
Varvara Lepchenko vs Danielle Collins
This is quite the battle of Americans coming. I used to have huge faith in Lepchenko’s potential, but injuries and time have taken that away. Collins, meanwhile, loves hard courts and seems to play her best in Melbourne. The former NCAA standout should move on.
Prediction: Collins in 2
